Ghanaian foods

• Fufu Recipe
• Akple Recipe
• Waakye Recipe
• Ga kenkey Recipe

There's  nonthing delicious like Ghanaian foods. Ghanaians have special food recipes prepared by different tribes.  These foods are local traditional foods which include Ga kenkey and  Fante kenkey and fried fish serve with hot pepper or shito , fufu and Palmnut soup, Akple and hot Okoro soup or stew ,Kontomire and  boiled plantain or Yam, Waakye and fried fish or wele with hot shito , Apapransa with crabs,kokonte and Light soup with okro, Banku and Okro soup or stew etc. But then these food has certain  history backing it. 

These foods are originated by certain tribe such as Akans , Ewes, Asantes, Fantes , Northerners ,Gas etc. For example Fante kenkey is well known by its orgin from the Central region in Cape Coast , Ga kenkey is also populary known by its origin from the Greater Accra region, Waakye is also known by its origins from the northen region thus the upper east, upper west  and northerners by the Hausa tribe as well as fufu is also known by its origin by the Akans thus Fante, Akyem,Bono, Akwamu, kwahu, wassa, Sefwi, Akuapem etc 

1. Fufu and Palmnut soap

Fufu is a starchy carbohydreate food made out from cassava.  Fufu is one of Ghanaian traditional food which are mostly prepared in the afternoorn and evening. fufu are mostly prepared on sundays by most ghanaians. Not forgeting the hot soup being serve with fufu such as Abankwan (palmnut soup), Nkatenkwa(groundnut soup) and Nkrakrankwan (light soup). These traditional local soup is not only served with Fufu, Ga Kenkey ,Fante kenkey and Banku but also with konkote( also known as face the wall) which is also a starchy food.

 Mary Nyarkoa one of the Ghanaian student in Hamburg said:

 "Fufu and Palmnut Soup are one the best Ghanaian food you can’t live without. Because it’s popularly served for Launch and Dinner. But best prepared by the Akan tribe in Ghana". 

Preparing fufu and Palmnut soup is the easier Ghanaian traditional food to prepare . For preparing palmnut soup all you need  is these ingredients thus:  

• Grinded pepper
• Grinded onion 
• Grinded Garlic
• Grinded Ginger
• Tomanto paste or grinded tomantoes
• Prekese
• seasonal spices 
•  salt 
• Garden eggs 
• cutted okro with either 
• steam Goat meat, 
• steam dreid fishes
• or steam cow meat 
• and finally water

For  preparing fufu all you need is to use neat fufu flour or go all the traditional way of preparing fufu and thus is using ghanaian traditional wooden mortar and a pestel  by using the pestel to pound the boiled cassava and plaintain or boiled cocoyam in the wooden mortar until it become mix and hard and serve with palmnut soup.  

Fufu and palmnut soup.Photos by Kwankyewaaskitchen 

2. Akple and Okro soup

Akple is made out from corn / maize flour and cassava dough and its traditionally originated by the Ewes tribe in the volta region in Ghana. Akple is served with okro soup or light soup but mostly served  with okro soup with assorted boiled wale or cow meat , dried craps , shrimps  or dried fish. For preparing these ingredients are needed thus: Corn flour, Cassava Dough, salt and boiled water.  The corn flour is grinded dried corn/maize. 

For preparing Aklple fellow these steps:

• Boil water in a saucepan and let it over boil for 10 minute
• Pour the corn flour inside and stir 
• put a dessolve salt water inside
• stir untill it become hard
• Mixed corn dough with cold water and pour it inside 
• stir until it become hard 
• if its becomes very hard,pour a little water inside and cover it with saucepan cover/head
• let it over boil for 10 minutes
• open it and stir untill it becomes hard for your satisfaction
• serve your  Akple with any soup mentioned above

                                                   Akple with okro soup. Photo from Home sweet home 

3.  Waakye and fried fish or wele with hot shito

Waakye is a mixed of boiled beans and Rice . it's  serve with tomantoes stew , garri ,fried fish or wale and vegetable salade such as sliced cabbage and tomantoes as well as shito. Waakye had it's orgin from  the Hausa tribes in the northern,upper east and upper west region of Ghana. Waakye is one of the main Ghanaian dish which is mostly served for breakfast or lanch. The Hausa people are well known for best waakye cookers in Ghana. 

For preparing waakye this ingrediants are needed such as: 

• Dried millet stalk leaves
•  Black eyed peas beans
• Rice
• salt
• Clean water
• limestone (also known as kanwu) . limestone can also be used for preparing okro soup

For preparing Waakye, fellow this steps:

• pour water in the saucepan 
• Put it on fire
• Wash the beans and put the beans in the saucepan
• Add salt and the limestone in it 
• let it over boil for 30 - 40 minute become the beans are hard and it has to be softer
• After that, pour a little water in it become the water will dry up
• wash your rice and pour in it
• stir it until its all desolved
• cover the food with a saucepan head or cover
• wait for 15 to 20 minute or until its becomes softer for you
• serve with tomantoes stew,garric ,vegetable salad , fried fish or wele and shito

                                                        Waakye and fish. Photos by Waakye Yiri 

4. Kenkey and Fried Fish with hot pepper

Kenkey was originated from the Greater Accra region by Ga tribe in Ghana. Ga kenkye are well known due to it's popularity. But then its belived that, the Gas are the only tribes that  prepare Kenkey very well. Ga kenkye can be easily prepared by anyone but its tastes varients . Gas kenkye very well than other non Ga Kenkey food vendors.

Ama Doni Nkrumah a Ghanaian living in Germay said:  

"I have eaten all the kenkey in Ghana but the Ga kenkey prepared by the Gas taste very delicious better than other kenkey food vendors". 

The ingredients for preparing Ga kenkey are :

• Corn  dough
• Cassava dough
• Dried maize or corn leaves
• salt or desolve salt with water
• clean water

Steps for preparing Ga kenkey needs patience because its take time to prepare it , in order to bring out its flavour.  

• Mix corn flour with water and fermented it for two to three days to make it a corn dough
• If you already bought a corn dough ,just divide it into two
• Mix the other cough with water  in a saucepan and put a little salt in it for your satisfaction
• Put it on fire and stir it until its becomes hard
• caution: continue stirring until it's becomes hard (Don't leave the food  unattened on fire)
• if its becomes too hard, pour a little water in it and cover it  with a saucepan head cover
• let it over boil for 10 - 20 minutes and mix the other corn dough  and  Cassava dough in it 
• stir until it all perfectely mix 
• take corn leaves and  take some the food 
•  mold it  roundly  with both hands in a ball shape  untill it's really molded (you can make as many balls as you want
• used diffrent saucepan and put some corn leave in it  and pour clean water inside
• put all the balls that, you molded in the saucepan and cover it
• let it over boild for 30 - 45 minute 
• serve with your hot pepper and fried fish

Kenkye and fried fish . Photo by rothies

Conclusion

Although these food are prepared by these tribes in Ghana. it can be prepared by  any Ghanaian and anyone who is intrested in preparing Ghanaian food. These food is not only prepared now by Ghanaians but also prepared in west African countries that, also originated these foods. For example Waakye is prepared by Hausa tribe but there are also other Hausa tribe in other west Africa countries such as Nigeria,Cameroon, Niger,Chad , sudan who also eat and prepared waakye.  Kenkey is also eaten and cooked not only in west African countries but also in caribbean countries such as Jamaica, trinidad etc with differents varieties of names. For example the the Jamaica called it dokunoo, dokono, dokunu, blue drawers and tie-a-leaf.